A STUDY OF STATE-SOCIETY-CITIZEN RELATIONS: A VOSVIEWER BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS (2000–2023)

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to facilitate the understanding of the theoretical and analytical foundations of state-society-citizen relations by addressing the concepts of “social security,” “social behavior,” and “civic engagement” within recent integrative approaches. Methods: The article uses a two-step research method: (a) a conceptual analysis, and (b) a VOSviewer bibliometric analysis using the PubMed database to test applicative-analytical individualizations regarding the three terms and related keywords over the last two decades, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic within the applied social research. Results: The study provides a pluralistic epistemology of conceptual and relational representations, together with the radical transformation of the researched concepts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: The study contributes to the multidimensional analysis of the state-society-citizen nexus. It integrates recent implications of social security, social behavior, and civic engagement to facilitate good governance and social integration.